Changeable-color-illusion device



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. D. WILLIAMS GHANGEABLE COLOR ILLUSION DEVICE;

No. 580,101. Patented Apr. 6, 1897.

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(No Model.)

H. 1). WILLIAMS. OHANGBABLB COLOR ILLUSION DEVIGB.

No. 580,101. Patented Apr. 6, 1897.

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HARVEY D. WILLIAMS, OF ITHAOA, NElV YORK.

CHANGEABLE-COLOR-IL'LUSION DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 580,101, dated April 6,1897.

Application filed March 31, 1896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY D. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ithaca, in the county of Tompkins and State of New York,have invented a new and useful ChangeableColor-Illusion Device; and I dohereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to exhibition devices and toys and to theconstruction thereof, and particularly to a changeable-color-illusiondevice consisting of a colored rotating body which as it rotatespresents the appearanceof having its surface colored in parallel bandsof diiferent delicate contrasting colors blending into each other, thesecolors changing as the rotation of the body continues, so as to producea very interesting and beautiful change of color over the surface of'therotating body.

My invention consists in the novel coloring of the surface of therotating body and in the novel means provided for rotating itsimultaneously in different planes, whereby the appearance of the changeof color is produced, and in the novel combination, construction, andarrangement of the parts of the device.

The objects of my invention are, first, to produce a color-illusiondevice of the character described which by the delicacy of the tintsproduced by its rotation and by the change of color which takes placeduring the operation of the device may produce beautiful and interestingeffects; second, to produce a variable-colorillusion device of thecharacter described which may be adapted for use either as an exhibitiondevice or as a toy, and, third, to make the device simple, inexpensivein construction, durable, and easily operated. These objects areattained in the invention herein described, and illustrated in thedrawings which accompany and form a part of this application, in whichthe same reference-letters indicate the same or corresponding parts, andin which Figure 1 is an elevation of one form of the color-illusiondevice of my invention, the form shown being particularly adapted foruse as an exhibition device, a portion of the rotating sphere beingsectioned centrally and Serial No. 585,526. (No model.)

vertically on a plane parallel to the plane of view to show the methodof supporting it. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of thelower portion of the sphere and of the supporting-sleeve which forms thebearing thereof, illustrating the means provided for rotating the spherein a direction parallel to the plane of the supporting-shaft. Fig. 3 isan elevation of another form of the color-illusion device particularlyadapted for use as a toy. Fig. 4 is a central section of the sphere ofFig. 3, taken at right angles to the connecting-spindle, illustratingparticularly the arrangement of the cords by which the sphere isrotated; and Figs. 5 and 6 are elevations of the device shown in Fig. 3,on a smaller scale, illustrating the change in position of the handlesof the cords by which the change in color of the surface of the rotatingsphere is accomplished.

In the drawings, A is the sphere, composed of two half-spheres A and Aseparated by a narrow slot A connected by a central axial pin or spindleA". In the form shown in Fig. 1 this pin or spindle is a screw threadedupon both ends to hold the hemispheres together and mounted within abearing-sleeve B, from which projects at right angles a shaft B, bywhich the sphere is supported and which is itself rotatably supported ina base G, within which is placed a motor connected to the shaft and bywhich the shaft may be rotated.

In Fig. 1 the presence of the motor within the base 0 is indicated bythe electric conductors leading from binding-posts O and C The adjacentsurfaces of the hemispheres A and A are hollowed out so as to formchambers to receive the ends of the sleeve B, so that a sleeve longenough to give considerable bearing-surface may be used with a slot A nowider than is necessary to permit the free passage of the shaft B andthe collar B hereinafter mentioned.

A collar 13 is mounted upon and secured to the shaft B and is in contactwith the base of 'the hemisphere A but not with the hemisphere A. WVhenthe'shaft B is rotated by the motor within the base 0, the sphererotates about the shaft as an axis. At the same time, since the sleeve Bis in contact with the hemisphere A but not with the hemisphere A, thesphere is rotated by this fric- ICO tional contact about the spindle Aas an axis and in a direction at right angles to its other direction ofrotation. There is therefore a double rotation of the sphere A. Therotation about the shaft B is much more rapid than about the spindle AThe surface of the sphere is divided into lunes which intersect at acommon axis, which is the axis of the spindle A These lunes are coloredwith diiferent contrasting colors. Vhen the sphere is rotated rapidly,the lune which is atthe equator of the sphere, and which is before theeye continuously produces the appearance of a continuous colored band ofthe color of said lune. The same is true of the lune at the poles of thesphere, the color at the poles being that of the lune which is at thepoles. Between the equator and the poles, however, lunes of differentcolors are continuously passing before the eye, and the appearance ofcolor there produced is due to the combination of the various colorswhich pass before the eye. There is therefore produced a gradualblending of color from the poles to the equator.

The rotation of the sphere about the spindle A has the elfect ofcontinuously changing the equatorial lune, one lune after the otherbeing brought to the equator of the sphere. The effect of this is toproduce a continuous change of color over the surface of the sphere,first one color and then another-being seen at the equator, withcorresponding changes at the poles and between the poles and theequator. This change of color and the dividing of the surface of thesphere into differently-colored lunes and rotating the sphere about theshaft B at right angles to the axis of the lunes and also at the sametime about the axis of the lunes, by which the change in color isproduced, are important and characteristic features of my invention.

In Fig. 3 and the subsequent figures there is illustrated a simpler formof my invention designed to be used for smaller sizes of the device,particularly those where the device is to be used as a toy. In this casethe sphere is arranged to be rotated by cords D and D, passing aroundthe spindle A and having at their ends, for convenience, handles D and DBy twisting these cords in opposite directions and then by alternatelypulling upon and relaxing the handles D and D the cords maybe made tounwind and rewind, thus revolving the sphere very rapidly about an axisat right angles to the spindle A At the same time the sphere may berotated about the spindle A that is, about the axis of the lunes-byturning the handles D and D in the manner illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6if the cords be arranged as shown in Fig. 4, turning the handles fromthe position of Fig. 5 to the position of Fig. 6, and vice versa. Thesame changes in color over the surface of the sphere are produced bythis movement of the handles D and D as are produced by the operation ofthe device shown in Fig. 1.

Should it happen that one of the cords was crossed before the twistingof the cords was begun, then it may be necessary to turn the handles Dand D in opposite directions in order to produce the change of colorupon the surface of the ball instead of turning them in the samedirection, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6.

To produce the colors upon the sphere, the sphere may be painted, or itmay be covered with strips of colored paper after the manner adopted forcovering geographical globes. Since the surface of a sphere is notdevelopable, other bodies having flat or developable surfaces, but whichbecause of the number of their surfaces approximate to the sphericalform, maybe used instead. I prefer that the sphere should be so coveredthat the colors at the equator and at the poles shall be complementary.The polar and equatorial colors will then be separated by colors ofneutral or intermediate tint, and this arrangement produces the bestcontrast of color and tends to increase the brilliancy of the colors.

Any convenient type of motor, such as elec trical, water, or clockworkmotors, may be employed for rotating the motor-driven device shown inFig. 1.

Having thus completely described my invention, what I claim, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a variable-color-illusion device, the combination, with a bodyrotatably supported and adapted to be rotated about two axes at rightangles to each other, and having on its surface a plurality ofdiiferently colored bands intersecting each other upon one of said axesof rotation, of a driving device adapted to rotate said body rapidlyabout the other of said axes, thereby causing an apparent blending ofthe colors of said bands into each other, and means for rotating saidbody about the axis of said bands while it is being rotated by thedriving device, thereby causing apparent changes in the arrangement ofcolors upon the surface of said body, substantially as described.

2. In a variable-color-illusion device, the combination, with a sphererotatably supported and adapted to be rotated about two axes at rightangles to each other, and having its surface divided intodifierently-colored lunes having a common axis which is one of said axesof rotation, of a driving device adapted to rotate said sphere about theother of said axes, thereby causing an apparent blending of the colorsof said lunes into each other, and means for rotating said sphere aboutthe axis of said lunes while it is being rotated by the driving device,thereby causing apparent changes in the arrangement of colors upon thesurface of this sphere, substantially as described.

8. In a variable-color-illusion device, the

combination, with a rotatable sphere composed of two hemispheresconnected by a central spindle, by which the sphere may be rotatablysupported, said hemispheres being separated by a slot through which thesupporting device may pass, and said sphere having its surface dividedinto differently-colored lunes having a common axis coincident with theaxis of said spindle, of means for supporting said sphere and forrotating the same about said spindle and about an axis at right anglesthereto, substantially as described.

4. In a revolving exhibition device, the combination, with a rotatablebody formed of two half-sections connected by a central spindle, of abearing for said spindle in which the same may rotate, a shaft connectedto said bearing at right angles to the spindle, means for rotating theshaft, thereby rotating the body about the axis of said shaft, and meansfor rotating the body about the axis of the central spindle,substantially as described.

5. In a revolving exhibition device, the combination, with a rotatablebody formed of two half-sections connected by a central spindle andseparated by a slot, of a shaft lying within said slot and carrying abearing for the spindle, and having a driving connection with one of thesections of the rotatable body,

whereby the body is rotated about the axis of the spindle when the shaftis rotated, and

means for rotating the shaft, thereby rotating the body about the axisof the shaft and also about the axis of the spindle, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a variable-color-illusion device, the combination, with a spherecomposed of two hemispheres connected by a central spindle and separatedby a slot, said sphere having its surface divided intodifferently-colored lunes having a common axis coincident with thespindle, 'of a shaft, suitably supported and lying within said slot,carrying a bearing for said spindle by which the sphere is supported,and having a frictional connection with one of said hemispheres, andmeans for rotating the shaft,thereby rotating the sphere about the axisof the shaft and about the axis of the spindle, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. HARVEY D. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

W. A. CHURCH, O. F. EMERSON.

